Europe Says Fooey on Food

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Europe Says Fooey on Food

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Independent researchers are urging the European Commission to create a public health agency to shake up procedures dealing with the environment, health, and food safety.

The EC document was prepared by Philip James, Fritz Kemper, and Gerard Pascal, three prominent scientists from France, Great Britain, and Germany. They were asked to advise the European Union on issues ranging from improving its health crisis management to more effective handling of scientific advice.

Their proposals are expected to be swiftly incorporated into official EU policy in a white paper on food safety due out next week.

Unlike the current system, in which the Commission's health and consumer protection directorate manages a series of scientific committees, the new agency – christened the European Food and Public Health Authority – would be independent. It would have ties to the EC as well as to the Council of Ministers and European Parliament. The agency would be based in Brussels to ensure its proximity to political decision makers.

As conceived, EFPHA would have a much broader mandate than just food safety, dealing "with all other public health, environmental, and food issues," which would include "clearance of new pesticides, additives, novel foods, cosmetics, GMOs [genetically modified organisms], consumer utensils, etc."

In addition to giving scientific advice for product licensing, the EFPHA would take on a range of other jobs, including providing an "effective system for monitoring European public health," and "policy analysis and options for policy developments for ensuring public health." The authority should have "a legal unit to evaluate implications of scientific opinions relating to regulatory and legislation proposals" as well as "a research analysis and research policy group," the scientists said.

James, Kemper, and Pascal say they had not considered the option of a completely new public health entity in its own right because "experience has shown the crucial links with food and environmental issues."